Reputation Management

The Real Impact of Negative Reviews Lies in Your Hands

January 22, 2018 by Cassie Ciopryna Leave a Comment

It’s a dog-eat-dog world trying to get business through the internet and in the city of online reviews – you don’t want to be the Chihuahua.

Online reviews get you noticed, show that you’re in the game to play, and help you achieve new customers. Seriously, it’s been shown that 67% of consumers are influenced by online reviews. I trust that you know how to do math but, I feel it necessary to point out…that’s over half of consumers, and your potential new customers.

The obvious cons of negative reviews could mean receiving a bad reputation, losing customers, and losing potential customers, therefore making new customer acquisition a higher cost as well as potentially losing business sales and profit.

You can ensure that negative reviews don’t drag your business down if you are proactive and follow these tips.

Moz’s research discovered that businesses risk losing as many as 22% of customers when just one negative article is found by users considering buying their product. But just because you can lose customers from negative reviews doesn’t mean that it’s a definite. There are still ways to properly respond to and handle negative reviews that may inevitably come your way.

So then, what is the real impact of negative reviews? Well, that is up to you to create. You can ensure that negative reviews don’t drag your business down if you are proactive and follow these tips.

Pay Attention to Your Online Review Presence

If you are not already asking for reviews from customers (which, if not-you should start doing that ASAP), then reviews may not be at the forefront of your mind and business plan. It is time to change that mentality. Just because you may not look up reviews or pay attention to them doesn’t mean that the majority of your consumer-base doesn’t. In fact, BrightLocal’s Local Consumer Survey shows that 97% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses – so you better be focusing on them!

Read and Respond to Negative Reviews

If you are not paying attention to your online review presence, it is easy to miss any negative reviews that may come your way – and ignoring a negative review may be even more detrimental to your business than the review itself. But why do you need to respond to negative reviews?

Well, don’t worry; we’ve already covered that for you, too. But in case you need some extra facts here too, let me throw this one at you: 30% of consumers name responding to reviews as key when judging a local business.

Don’t Let Your Reviews Precede You

Besides proactively reading and responding to your negative reviews, make sure that you keep an otherwise good online reputation out there everywhere-not just on review sites. Include customer testimonials and case studies on your website to showcase your great customer service and how you really help people—it should help show a different side of your company than that one negative reviewer had to say. More good will outweigh the bad.

Negative reviews can be a real bummer – and could take tolls on your business. From losing business and profits to hurting your overall brand, they are really something to pay attention to. But by taking control of your online presence and authority and being proactive with your customers and reviewers, you can ensure that negative reviews don’t have a huge negative impact on your business.

4 Easy Steps to Effectively Respond to Negative Reviews

January 8, 2018 by Cassie Ciopryna Leave a Comment

It’s important to have an action plan when it comes to responding to less-than-positive reviews of your business.

If you give a mouse a cookie, he’ll ask for a glass of milk…and if you don’t have that glass of milk, he might not be totally satisfied with your service. In the era of having the internet at our fingertips, it’s easier than ever for customers—especially unhappy customers—to immediately take to their computers or smartphones and tap away in their immediate state of dissatisfaction.

Although you may do everything in your power to give your customers what they want (and sometimes even more than you promise), inevitably, not everyone will be totally satisfied. Perhaps one of your salespeople may be having a bad day and give your potential customers a bad impression; maybe they’re unhappy with your prices—whatever the reason, you are bound to get some negative reviews online.

“Follow these steps to turn those unhappy reviewers back into potential customers.”

We’ve already talked about why you should respond to your negative online reviews—now we’re here to help you out with the how.

Receiving negative reviews is not ideal, but it’s not the end of the world. And since data shows that 4 in 5 consumers reverse their purchase decisions based on negative reviews, it is handling these reviews properly that will ultimately help build your online reputation even higher. Follow these steps to turn those unhappy reviewers back into potential customers.

1. Know Where to Look

Yelp, Angie’s List, Google, Facebook…there are many different review platforms out there for people to leave reviews on. Make sure you know where to find your reviews—you don’t want a bad one out there lingering with no response for all to see. Instead of manually searching every possible review site, there are many products out there that will do this for you. This is why having a performance management tool is beneficial; it does this work for you. See all your reviews from all sites in one place, and getting to our next point, even respond from this all-in-one review platform, too.

2. Respond Quickly

No, you don’t have to be refreshing your feed of your online review platforms to respond to these reviews ASAP, but you should be regularly checking in on them. This way, if a negative review comes up, you can respond in a timely manner (set a goal, say 3 days maximum) while it is still fresh in the customer’s mind. Keep in mind that you may need to address anyone internally about the situation if need be before you are fully aware of the situation and how you will respond.

3. Draft Your Response

Although you want to make sure you can respond to the review in a time-efficient manner, this does not mean that you should hurry and type up whatever comes to mind first. Do your research into the situation, write up something to address all of the customer’s concerns, and proofread. It isn’t enough to simply be apologetic; you want to be actionable. Just like anything you’d put on your website or pay to put on an advertisement, this response will stay on the internet and read by many. You want to get it right.

4. Give Your Direct Contact Information if Necessary

If there is an issue brought up in the review that is particularly concerning, show that you personally care. People like people, so when you are putting a real face and voice to your business and showing you truly care about their concerns, they will appreciate it. The whole conversation doesn’t need to be online, but it shows you are willing and putting forth the effort to make it right.

How do you handle negative online reviews? Drop us a comment below with your best tips.

How to Craft an Attractive Value Proposition for Your Business

December 21, 2017 by Cassie Ciopryna Leave a Comment

You know the value of your company and products – now you have to convince consumers of your worth.

One could say that sales and marketing are similar to dating.

You meet a potential relationship prospect – maybe in a coffee shop, online, party, or somewhere else – and upon meeting, you both have to decide, first at face value, if there is mutual interest. Once the initial meetup happens, how do you decide if he/she is truly “the one”?

Well, ultimately, if you share the same values – the relationship can become a match made in heaven.

Right?

Wouldn’t you say that making sure you communicate your value (and vice versa) when dating is basically selling what makes you different from the other comparable, attractive men or women in your area?

What sets you apart from the other fish in the sea?

If you’re in the business of selling (which, as we’ve introduced – all of us kind of are), then you’ve probably heard of value propositions. But do you understand the true value of value propositions?

Value propositions are not a way to brag or fib your way into earning business (no one is attracted to a braggart) – value propositions explain to your potential customers why they should choose you over a competitor, without directly comparing your business to others like yours.

“Once you determine what unique aspects your business provides to your customers, ultimately, it all comes down to what you offer that sets you apart and connects with your potential customers’ values.”

Investopedia has a great definition of what a value proposition can be summarized as: “A business or marketing statement that a company uses to summarize why a consumer should buy a product or use a service. This statement convinces a potential consumer that one particular product or service will add more value or better solve a problem than other similar offerings.”

I know – that’s a lot of pressure to communicate all of your value in this one statement. Rest assured, it can be done.

What makes a good value proposition?

What is your mission?

Make sure that the value propositions you’re using with sales-leads match up with your company’s mission statement. Just as in the real-world, it is always best to stay true to yourself. Don’t change just to fit into what other people want.

If you are unsure what your mission statement is – check! It is a great team-building exercise as well as communication within the company to ensure all employees are on the same page with what the business stands for and delivers to its customers.

Once you are clear on your company’s true mission and value without using over-used keywords or meaningless blanket statements, you’re ready to use this great messaging tool to your advantage on sales calls, landing pages, marketing collateral, and more. How can you craft some iconic and beneficial value statements to start using now to attract more customers?

What do you bring to the table?

You have to determine what sets you apart from your competitors. You will always have competition. Even if the other companies your prospects consider may not do exactly what you do, if there is some overlap, you should consider that other business a competitor.

What aspects of your company make you stand out? Make a list. Do you have outstanding customer service? Easy-to-use products? Low prices? Write them down! Remember – at this point in the courtship; it’s about more than just what is on the outside. A flashy marketing ad or website may lure them in, but it’s the true value you deliver that will make them stay and choose you.

After you’ve finished your list of what you think makes you stand out from your competition, get together with your colleagues to compare what you’ve all written and continue brainstorming together until you’ve narrowed down your list to the top few reasons that will make a potential prospect pick you over the other guys.

What do your customers value?

Once you determine what unique aspects your business provides to your customers, ultimately, it all comes down to what you offer that sets you apart and connects with your potential customers’ values.

For example, if you sell luxury cars, then having the lowest prices in town probably isn’t going to be the differentiating factor to set you apart – as your customers are willing to pay for a quality, luxury brand. If you mention in your value statement that you are the only luxury car dealership in the area that has won numerous awards for best customer service five years in a row, now you stand out from the rest.

Every company should have an ideal type of customer in mind for its product or service. It’s not smart to be desperate for anyone who is willing to come your way (in both dating and business – we’ve all made our mistakes!). Make sure your ideal customer type aligns with the values you choose to communicate, and it’ll be a win-win for you both.

Social Proof

Now that you know which points you are going to communicate to your potential prospects, how will you make them truly believe what you are saying? This is where social proof of your value proposition comes into play. As independent as we all like to think we are, most people will choose to do something or buy something if they know that others have it and like it, too.

If your friends tried to set you up on a date with someone who you know nothing about, you probably wouldn’t be too willing, right? But it is once they start listing the great qualities and value of this potential date that you become interested, and finally agree to invest your time to give them a chance. Other people’s opinions (especially from those we trust) do sway our own decisions.

How do you communicate social proof of your company’s worth? Do you have outstanding customer reviews or referrals that back-up the value you speak of? Case studies? Survey results? Awards? Data or years of experience in the industry? This is the time to mention any of this evidence, and bring any of those proof points to the forefront.

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat

Now I’m not telling you to sound like a broken record and to go on and on listing your value propositions, but it is vital to repeat your value statements in many forms over the course of your communication with leads. And again – these don’t have to be in your face, explicit messages. But do make sure they exist and are seen by your consumers on a regular basis. Think landing pages, advertisements, social media postings, phone calls, emails…make sure you communicate your value through all of these channels.

Just like it usually takes more than one date to know if you want to pursue a committed relationship with someone, it will most likely take more than just one touch point with a lead to culminate in a sale. So makes sure that when leads first find you, before they call you, after you speak to them, during their appointment, and every step of the customer journey, you illuminate your value propositions.

Want to see true data on how you’re converting when putting your value propositions in place on phone calls? Start utilizing call tracking and analytics from true human analysts – contact a CallSource representative now.

6 Creative Ways to Show Appreciation for Your Customers This Holiday Season

December 11, 2017 by Cassie Ciopryna Leave a Comment

Because your customers shouldn’t be a one-and-done deal, make sure to keep them thinking of you.

As a B2C business, it is always a goal to acquire new customers – but isn’t it also a goal to retain those customers and keep getting returning business from them, too? To keep your customers coming back and choosing you as their go-to car dealer, dentist, HVAC company, or whatever business you’re in, there is something very important you must do that should not be overlooked: customer appreciation.

In fact, if you don’t show your customers how important they are to you, you risk losing them forever. POOF! Gone.

It’s been reported that 68% of customers leave a company because they feel that the business does not care about them. So, what better time than holiday season and the end of the year to make your current customers feel extra special and valued? Here are 6 creative ways to show customer appreciation this month.

Send Some Holiday Cheer

This is probably the most obvious way to show customer appreciation around the holidays – send a holiday greeting card to your existing customers. This one doesn’t even have to be any fancy marketing ploy; just a simple greeting card with holiday wishes will show your customers that you are more than a business – you are their local, personable business. If you can swing it, hand-written signatures will add even more of a personal touch.

Not-So-Secret Santa?

This one may not be a secret – giving a small gift to customers who you do business with during the month of December is a great added touch to your sales. If the customer has to step foot into your business or office for their appointment, give them a candy cane, small gift card, or something branded with your logo that they can keep. Same goes if your business model is one where you visit the customers at their home – give them the small gift, or leave the trinket behind if they are not present, along with a business card.

Be Your Customers’ Christmas Carolers

Although it may be more effort than some of the previously mentioned ideas, creating a short, holiday-themed video to send to clients will really show off your business’ personality and brighten their day. You can re-write some words to a simple song such as “Jingle Bells,” or create your own short song and dance. Have your employees dress in holiday attire for the video shoot, or perhaps create a cartoon version of your company. You can send the video via email to your current customers’ contact emails on file. They will definitely get some enjoyment from the video, and probably think even more positively of you after viewing it.

Host a Holiday Contest – With Rewards

Social media is a great tool to leverage with this customer-appreciation tactic. This one works two-fold as well – get involved with your current customers and show your appreciation for them while simultaneously getting free publicity from them. You can open a contest on Facebook or some form(s) of social media where your customers follow you having them share a photo or status about your company to their followers (holiday themed, of course). Your prize can be a coupon for their next appointment, a gift card towards their next purchase, or perhaps something more solid like an electronic device, toy, or branded swag.

12 Days of Customers

We’ve all heard of the 12 days of Christmas – so why not put a fun spin on that with an opportunity to showcase your love for your current customers? On the 12 day countdown to Christmas, you can highlight a story, photo, or a tidbit about your most rock star customers. If you know their social media profile, try to tag them to get the most reach for your post.

Random Giveaway

Direct mail is a great kind of advertisement to leverage during any holiday season, especially at the end of the year. Send holiday-themed direct mail pieces to your existing clientele, with a special treat for the first 50 customers to respond. Just like with the holiday contest idea on social media, you can give a specific amount off their next purchase with you, have a special prize, or maybe include a scratch-off ticket with specific offers. Whatever you decide to do, make sure to use a tracking number on your piece to see how well your current customer marketing/customer appreciation mail piece performs.

How do you show your customers appreciation, both around holiday time or year-round? Drop us your ideas and successful ways you appreciate your customers in the comments below!

You Ask for the Appointment – Here’s Why to Ask for a Review

November 28, 2017 by Cassie Ciopryna Leave a Comment

Online reviews are becoming just as prominent and important in gaining business as actually asking someone outright for their business is.

You task your employees with setting an appointment to finalize a sale. So why wouldn’t you give yourself the goal to ask customers for a review to help with future sales?

In an age of ever-increasing technology with review sites, platforms and Apps, online reviews are becoming just as important as word of mouth referrals. Yet, not all businesses are quite on board with online reviews. When studies find that 74% of people trust local businesses more after reading positive reviews on them, I’m telling you that reviews are that important.

Most of CallSource’s clients use our reports, scored by human analysts, to determine their overall call-to-appointment conversion rates and receive feedback on call handler performance. One of the factors looked at when scoring employees on their appointment setting skills, is to see if the call taker asked for the caller’s commitment.

A study by BrightLocal found that 70% of consumers will leave a review for a business when asked.

So, if you know it is important to ask for the appointment, let me ask—are you asking for your customers’ feedback after the sale? It is becoming more and more important to not only have an online reputation, but you need to manage your online reputation to gain new business. It is important to regularly and continuously receive reviews from your customers. One way to ensure that you are receiving reviews is, just like when gaining the appointment via telephone, simply to ask.

A study by BrightLocal found that 70% of consumers will leave a review for a business when asked. That is a number that needs repeating—70%!

While yes, this may require an additional step for management, the salesperson, or whoever is taking care of the customer at the appointment, it is worth the efforts to steadily maintain your online reputation. There are many easy ways to do this, including but not limited to:

Verbally asking
Leaving a business card, magnet or sticker including The Ask
Sending a follow-up email after the appointment
Including a review link widget on your website

While it is considered unethical to incentivize customers to leave reviews, simply asking will more often than not do the trick. Sure, it is unlikely that 100% of your reviews will end up being strictly positive, but no matter the outcome, reviews are more and more becoming a useful and essential tool for business to have. Address and learn from the negative (more on how to respond to negative reviews coming next week – subscribe here to get notified when that posts), and reap the benefits from the positive.

Combating the Bad: Why You Need to Respond to Negative Reviews

November 13, 2017 by Cassie Ciopryna Leave a Comment

Don’t stick your head in the sand – you have to address those naysayers.

While we have all heard the saying, “you have to take the bad with the good,” this is also true when referencing your growing catalog of online reviews. As you’re managing your online presence, asking for reviews, and receiving a continuous flow of feedback, you’re bound to receive a few negatives along with the positive—and that’s ok.

While you obviously do not want to be inundated with negative reviews, having a few negative responses, if handled by management effectively, can actually end up turning into a positive for your business.

A survey by BrightLocal concluded that the authenticity of reviews is the most important factor for consumers to trust the reviews they read. Finding a business that may not be perfect but one they can trust is a top reason for selection. Responding to reviews shows that your company is reliable and authentic.

By regularly looking over your online reviews, you will be able to respond to negative reviews in a timely manner and hopefully alleviate a bad situation while potentially turning an unhappy customer into a fan.

Authenticity isn’t the only reason to respond to reviews—research shows that 56% of consumers will avoid a business that has negative online reviews, but 78% of consumers believe a business cares more about them when they see management respond to reviews.

Research also shows responding to a negative review isn’t only beneficial to the reviewer, but can make your company more appealing to other viewers of the review (Wang and Chaudhry). When responding to negative online reviews, more due diligence and thought must be put into the response than with a positive review response to achieve increased satisfaction.

According to this research study, when managers respond to a negative online review, it is construed as adding value since they are acknowledging where they may have went wrong. Keeping accountable and citing any actions they are taking to rectify the issue adds to the credibility of the post. Contrary to the positive effect that a negative review response has, if a manager responds to a positive review with as much detail, it can have a negative effect in that it may be interpreted as a promotional activity.

(Tip: Home service businesses can better understand the impact of their online reviews in this article).

And your consumers are more forgiving than you’d think—only 8 percent of them would expect a business to have a five-star rating before they will consider using them. While negative reviews are obviously not wanted, they’re inevitable. As long as they’re handled properly, you don’t have to let them take over your online presence.

Work Cited:
Wang, Yang, and Alexander Chaudhry. “When and How Managers’ Responses to Online Reviews Affect Subsequent Reviews.” Journal of Marketing Research (In Press).